Chanel on sale? Burberry for the price of lunch? A Louis Vuitton sample sale? There are some fashion deals that are too good to be true — but try telling that to your bargain-hunting dad who's trying to buy your mom a 25th anniversary gift. The MarkMonitor Shopping Report discovered that one in five shoppers will accidentally buy a knockoff-luxury product when they think they're buying the real deal, usually because of bogus counterfeit websites. Interestingly, the amount of people knowingly searching for "replicas" and "fakes" are a much smaller percentage; accidental counterfeit purchases outnumber purposeful ones by 20 times.
The consequences of all this good-intentioned bargain hunting can be staggering — with luxury brands losing billions each year, not to mention the ancillary terrorism, organized crime, and drug and human trafficking that is propped up because of it. Perhaps it may be worth presenting a little guide to safe online shopping while you're home with your Black Friday-hungry relatives this weekend? (WWD)
Photo: Via ForSaleDiscount.com